Purpose of Cruise
This property is located at South lake Ainslie, Inverness County, Nova Scotia, Canada at latitude N 46 02 52 and longitude W -61 07 51 was visited in August 21, 24, 26, 27, 28 and September 2 and 3, 2009 at the request of the owners to collect information and data so that a report describing the property could be prepared. The attempt has been to collect forestry field data and combine it with information on local soil and geology to provide the landowners with an overall view of the land.
General Description
The property is about 2500 meters (8202 feet) long and 336 meters (1102 feet) wide and contains about 82.9 hectars (205 acres) of forest land west of the West Lake Ainslie Road that passes between the lowers portion of the land and the lake. The elevation at the Lake Ainslie shoreline is about 60 meters (196 feet). The land rises to a maximum elevation of approximately 200 meters (656 feet) on the northern boundary line at a the western edge. MacMillan Brook enters the property near the highest elevation, flows out into the forest and loops back before traveling about a third of the property down slope along the boundary line before exiting to the adjacent woodlot. The property lies in the wake of a much higher hilltop which is located about 1.1 km to the northwest. The elevation of this hilltop is about 25 meters (82 feet). Small trout were seen quite often in MacMillan Brook which was seen running briskly and had very clean looking water. Four photos of the brook have been provided including one that shows an old bridge now covered with small trees.
Most of the property has soil belonging to the Thom Sries on the hilly stoney land. There are two significant geological units, a northerly granite, granodiorite unit that underlies about a quarter of the property and a sedimentary sandstone, shale unit that underlies the most south westerly portion of the property. Glacial events have created various soil and till deposits. All of the property falls within the Cape Breton Hills Ecodistrict.
The forest is predominantly of a hardwood composition with suar and red maple, beech and yellow birch being the most common species. A small amount of softwood occurs being represented by balsam fir, white and black spruce, white pine and eastern hemlock. There has been some cutting in the distant past. The spruce budworm, hemlock looper, tussock, moth and eastern spruce bark beetle attacks that have occurred since 1975 have killed much of the balsam fir that used to be mixed in among the hardwood forest. A small amount of recent cutting was done in 2005. Although some of the land is quite rocky, this has not not prevented a very fine tolerant hardwood forest from developing. The majority of the trees are between 90 and 180 years of age. Some of the hardwood forest can be considered as an old growth forest. Some very large red and sugar maple, yellow birch, white pine and eastern hemlock were encountered.
Most of the land is operable. The steepest slopes are found on the south side of MacMillan Brook going up into stand number 6. Granite and granodiorite boulders are quite common on the most north easterly part of the property. Access is provided by kilometers of old bull-dozed trails. These are suitable for walking or for use with small machinery. They are starting to grow in with young trees in places. Also the foest canopy overhead is closing in and hiding the trails in places. There is some minor erosion ocuring on the most northerly trail due to runoff during rain storms. A small wooden bridge built over a small stream is no longer able to provide passage. Easy access is available by walking up the neighbors drive and cleared field at least part way up the hill.
The property has many attributes that attract and sustain wildlife. Moose tracks were seen quite often along the trails and in wet areas. Signs of black bear were also seen. Ovenbirds, Seiurus aurocapillus, were seen quite often.
The forest, if harvested, would yeild a large quantity of hardwood fuelwood, a small amount of hardwood veneer, a moderate amount of hardwood logs other than veneer and small amounts of softwood pulpwood and studwood.
Geology
There are two very distinct groups of bedrock within the property area. One, HSgd is an intrusive body of granodiorite consisting of quartz, plagioclase, orthoclase and smaller amounts of hornblende and biotite. Some authors have dated this outcrop as Late Devonian while others have referred to it as Precambrian. Boulders of this outcrop can be seen along the lake shoreline and are scattered over the surface of the mnost north easterly part of the property. The remaining larger portion of the property is underlain with two younger sedimentary formations of the Horton Group from the Carboniferous Period. The Strathlorne Fromation, (Chs), consists of grey micaceous quartz rich sandstone along with gray and red shale. The Ainslie Formation, (Cha), consists of red and grey sandstone with minor amounts of gray shale and siltstone. These beds are striking on a north east south west axis and are dipping in a south easterly direction. (See map of bedrock geology provided above under "Other Maps"). MacMillan Brook provides an opportunity to see the sanbdstones and shales of the Horton Group.
Soils
Two soil series occur over the property, the Thom Series covering most of the property and the Milbrook Series covering a small area in the north eastern corner. The Thom Series soils are very stoney and generally occur on hilly, mountainous terrain. The parent material is a grayish-brown sandy loa, till. Movement and accumulation of organic matter into the B horizon produces a dark brownish color. The Thom Series are low in natural fertility and are easily eroded. Excellent forest stands can develop on these soils. The Milbrook Series developed from a reddish brown clay loam till parent material is often found on rolling topography with long moderate slopes. The C horizon is typically compact containing gravel. The millbrook Series on this property is rated as M/B-2, which inidicates gently rolling and moderately stoney land. (See Map showing Soil Series above under "Other Maps"). A field on the neighbouring property to th south and along the main road is situated ont he Milbrook soil series.
Glacial Geology
The most recent glacial episode, the Wisconsin Glaciation began during the late Pleistocenbe Epoch of the Quaternary Period at about 75,000 years ago and produced the Laurentide Ice Sheet which reached its maximum extent about 25,000 years ago. By the beginning of the Holocene Epoch about 10,000 years ago, this ice mass had largely melted away. Sev4eral different areas are found on the property and are illustrated on the Map Showing Glacial Geology (available above under "Other Maps).
These are listed and described as follows:
- RB, rolling forested outcrop terrain with little or no till cover except in depressions, interspersed with up to 40% bare glaciated outcrop
- RC, rolling to rugged rock areas with undifferentiated patches of thin till covering up to 40% of area
- 7a, unconsolidated nonglacial thin blocky rubble on steep valley sides cut mainly in rock locally overlying glacial till
- 2a, unsorted debris deposited beneath glacier ice, rolling fluted plain composed of several layers with the thin sandy surface till overlying sequences of thick finer grained tills, overall thickness about 5 to 10 meters (16 to 32 feet).
Ecological Land Classification
The entire property falls within ecodistrict 310 The Cape Breton Hills. This ecodistrict is one of eight ecodistricts within The Nova Scotia Uplands Ecoregion 300. The Nova Scotia Uplands Ecoregion 300 is broadly characterized by higher elevations, hilly topography, well drained slopes and tolerant hardwood forests. Three ecosections occur within the property, SMKK, the largest with well drained medium textured soil on hilly terrain where slopes range from 5 to 30%, ICHO, imperfectly drained coarse textured soil on hummocky terrain and WFKK, well drained fine textured soil on hilly terrain. See Maps showing ecodistricts and ecosections above under "Other Maps".
